Know Your Allies (ON HOLD)
by ffxsuinyanYT
Summary: The Shibuya family was prominent in the Commission of Counter Ghoul aka the Ghoul Countermeasures Bureau. However...One by one, members of the family were slaughtered, leaving behind the daughter of the top family, Shibuya Mami, alive. And alone. Follow Mami in her story as a top investigator in the CCG, carrying her family's legacy on her shoulders. Warning Inside! EDIT: 9/3/15
1. Prologue

**EDIT: 9/3/2015**

* * *

 **Author's Corner!**

 **Yes, I love Tokyo Ghoul**

 **My friend says he doesn't understand Kaneki's logic and ships him and Touka, and I was like "I can't ship anyone in anime, it defies** _ **my personal logic**_ **." He asks me "how so?" and I said "it's PERSONAL ;c"**

 **Anyway, another friend also made a Kaneki eye mod for this character in Elsword, and it's superduper cool props to you mah frand. He won in a recolor contest, which by the way are very pretty. (Sorry, gamer stuff w ) WELL ENJOY ~**

 **R &R Read On!**

* * *

 **Legend: ' ' are thoughts, " " are characters speaking, *bold* are actions done by characters,** _ **italics**_ **represent past events, memories, texts/etc, and emphasis, and** _ **bold italics**_ **time skips.**

 **WARNING: May contain OOC, foul language, various point-of-view, and possible lemons!**

* * *

 **Prologue : Her Past**

* * *

 _"What should we do?"_

 _There was talk going around the CCG. A group of the organization's top members were gathered in one room, watching a little girl train in the room before them (_ _ **A/N: they're in the waiting room, basically, watching through a window**_ _)._

 _"Who will take care of the girl? She is the_ only _remaining one of the Shibuya family, our organization's top investigators._ Someone _has to take care of her."_

 _"I agree. Her family, all slaughtered by the binge-eater on her 8th birthday. The poor girl..."_

 _"Her parents claimed that she was still in-training...however, it doesn't seem like she_ needs _it."_

 _The group looked towards the girl, as she takes down more test dummies, each falling to the floor one by one. Her movements were swift, and her actions were accurate. All her targets' "heads" were cleanly sliced off, gathered in a pile on the other side of the room._

 _"Perhaps, they didn't want_ _her to go out into the field. She_ is _still young, after all..." Silence filled the room, the adults thinking hard about what they should do with the girl._

 _"In any case,_ someone _needs to take care of her! She hasn't any other living family members, last we checked, they all_ died _at the hands of ghouls."_

 _"And we can't let her stay in the facility, no one would be here by the time we all go home."_

 _Before anyone could say anything else, someone had walked into the practice area._

 _"A-Arima-san?!"_

* * *

 _"Excuse me, miss."_

 _He tried to gain her attention, but she kept at her training as if no one had come into the area._

 _'She has great concentration' the man thinks to himself._

 _It was a great feat to have as a field investigator. As he was still in thought, the girl had stopped to look at the man, her eyes void of any emotion. The man, sensing someone looking at him, turned to look back at the girl dead in the eyes._

 _"Hello," he greets her. The girl remained silent before giving him a soft "Hello" in return._

 _He walks closer to her, causing her to take one step back. He chuckled a bit at her reaction. "Do not worry, I'm not here to harm you. I'm here...to_ help _you."_

 _This caught the girl's attention. She lowers her quinque, reverting it back into the form of a bracelet._

 _"Hoh?" the man mutters, looking at the girl more closely, as if analyzing her. '...I see. A belt, bracelet, necklace and rings. Those must be her quinque' he inquires._

 _It wasn't something you'd see a field investigator have or use. Usually, their quinque would hide in the form of a suitcase._

But the Shibuya family was different.

 _They liked to have their quinque take the form of something that could be worn. Something..._ unique. _It was a fad within the family._

 _'The belt I have not seen... the rest, though, belong to her parents and brother. Yaksha, the bracelet of her mother. Sakra, the necklace of her father. Raja, the rings of her brother.'_

 _"...Do you...need something, Arima-san?" she asks quietly._

 _He turned his attention back to the girl. "Ah, so you know of me."_

 _"...Yes. My father often talked about his work partner," she explains. "I see..."_

 _They got quiet for a few moments, until Arima suggested something that surprised her and the group of people in the waiting room._

 _"Mami, how would you like to live with me?"_

 _Her eyes widened at the man._

 _This was the start of a new beginning for Shibuya Mami._

* * *

 _ **Six Years Later**_

 _Mami stood on stage, receiving her award as valedictorian._

 _"Shibuya-san is amazing, isn't she?"_

 _"Top of our class! Way to go, Shibuya!"_

 _Her class cheered for her as she accepted her award, turning to face her peers. To the sides of the auditorium, Arima and a few other investigators were watching the ceremony._

 _"She really is something. Graduating with the 68th Class at that age as the valedictorian, you've taught her well, Arima."_

 _"Yes, she is quite young- the youngest in her class, actually."_

 _"I heard the boys made quite a fuss during Valentine's! Were there shit tons of chocolate at your apartment?"_

 _"Ssh! Cut it out, she's about to give her speech."_

 _Mami stood at the podium, awards in her arms as she gave her speech._

 _"Students, teachers, friends and family, members of the CCG. I, Shibuya Mami, humbly accept this award as Valedictorian of the 68th Graduating Class. I was not expecting to stand at the top of my class...in fact, I had expected Kiriya-san to be our valedictorian-"_ _"It's Kiriya_ -kun _to you!"_

 _This caused an eruption of laughs within the auditorium._

 _"Ah, yes. Kiriya-kun. You're a great student as well as a great fighter. I was quite surprised when he turned out to be our class salutatorian. Anyway... The past few years at the academy were truly great ones. I've made amazing friends and rivals, as well as learnt many valuable things. We, proud students of the academy, will honor the name we represent and fight for the sake of humanity. For our sole purpose and goal..._

 _...is to take down the ghouls who disguise themselves as humans."_

 _The students roared in cheers._

 _"Yeah! Take down those damned ghouls!" "Go slaughter them all!"_

 _"Well, aren't they enthusiastic," one of the investigators commented._

 _Mami made a gesture for the students to settle down._

 _She continued, "Although we may not be in the same division, think the same or have the same goals...remember. We grew up here._ Together. _Despite our various differences, we've come to understand one another, fighting alongside each other as we trained each and every day. Now, we stand before you as graduates of this academy, leaving behind our class' legacy to the students who remain here. Even if our goals were to change over time, we all stand for the same cause. Thank you."_

 _Once more, cheers spread throughout the auditorium._

 _"Mami is quite popular, don't you think?"_

 _"Hope this doesn't cause a problem at work."_

 _"I doubt she'll be working with any of her classmates. After all, she is a Special Class investigator, even though we were told to say she is a First Class."_

 _Arima, who had been quiet the entire time, decided to speak up. "Yes, because Mami is no ordinary girl."_

 _Mami is a_ very _special girl. Those at the CCG considered her to be on the same level as her guardian, Kishou Arima. They all had very high expectations of her._

 _Little did they know that..those expectations would drive her into a corner._

* * *

 _"You wish to move to the 20th ward?" Arima asks her. The rest of the members looked towards the young lady who stood by the door. "State your reason."_

 _Mami, now seventeen years old, says, "I was...thinking of taking that vacation."_

 _"Ah, you mean the one the director gave you for your birthday last year. You've decided to take it now?"_

 _"But, that vacation lasts a whole two years! In that time, you could be needed back here in the CCG!" one yells at her._

 _"You can always call for me to work, however, if the job is not_ worth my time _, then I_ will not come back _," she says, intimidating the man who had yelled at her._

 _"Now, now. Mami, are you sure that you want to stay at the 20th ward?" Arima asks her. "Yes." He contemplates on it for a few seconds._

 _"...Alright, I will go tell the director."_

 _Her eyes sparkled as she bowed to her caretaker. "Thank you, Kishou-san." The man simply smiled at her._

 _"Now, go home and pack your things. I'll get your arrangements done as well," he tells her. "Oh, that's alright. A friend from the academy lived in the 20th ward before moving here. They offered to let me stay at their apartment if you allowed me to go on vacation there," she informs him. "Is that so? Best be on your way then."_

 _Bowing to the rest of the members, she quickly leaves the room, running down the hall at light speed._

 _"Arima-san, are you sure about this?"_

 _"I agree. She is one of our top investigators. No matter how safe the 20th ward may be, I suggest we have someone go with her-"_

 _"That is not necessary."_

 _"However-" "Like you said, she is one of our top investigators. She can handle herself just fine. Besides...I think there is a deeper meaning to why she wants to take her vacation now."_

 _Just as Arima said, there was deeper meaning to her wanting to leave for the 20th ward._

 _Mami no longer had the will to fight. She was tired of the blood. Tired of seeing death, humans and ghouls alike. She was starting to feel sympathy towards the ghouls, as they were all depicted as killers by the CCG. But, she knew better than that._

 _On one of her various missions in the 20th ward, she had stumbled upon a cafe called Anteiku. It was run by a man known as Yoshimura._

 _But Miho knew that he was no ordinary man- no..._ ordinary human _._

 _He was a_ ghoul, _so were the other workers at Anteiku. She confronted with them, just as they had confronted her. Luckily, no harm was done. In fact, she had found them to be quite friendly. Despite everything she's learned about ghouls since she was born, they were different. They were the_ exact opposite _of what she was told about them._

 _They didn't_ kill _humans._

 _They didn't_ harm _humans._

 _They lived..._ peacefully _among the humans._

 _Their cafe served both ghouls_ and _humans. It was as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with the world in the 20th ward._

 _This was what Mami was_ yearning _for._

 _Absolute peace between the humans and ghouls._

 _This was the reason why she wanted to stay at the 20th ward for her two-year vacation. She wanted a break from the fighting. The killing. The bloodshed. She wanted a break from her life as a CCG Investigator, the S+ Rated Ghoul-Hunter. Though it was more like..._

 _...she wanted a new life._

* * *

 _ **Are you going to kill, too?**_

* * *

 **That's the prologue. The first few chapters will be about her "new life" aka vacation in the 20th ward before the events with Kaneki come into play.**

 **R &R? Tell me what you think! Contribute your ideas ~ I'll take 'em all! Well?**

 _ **Are ghouls the ones at fault? Or are the humans to blame?**_

* * *

 **ffxshilayt aka Shila -**


	2. I

**EDIT: 9/3/2015**

* * *

 _ **Are ghouls the ones at fault?**_

* * *

 **Author's Corner!**

 **Here's another chapter! Mami starts her vacation aka the first year which won't be as long, just the first month at the 20th ward then a summary of the first year. Enjoy ~**

 **R &R Read On!**

 **P.S because I forgot to mention in the prologue: Don't forget to check out the character page on my profile's last section! Explains a lot~**

* * *

 **Legend: ' ' are thoughts, " " are characters speaking, *bold* are actions done by characters,** _ **italics**_ **represent past events, memories, texts/etc, and emphasis, and** _ **bold italics**_ **time skips.**

 **WARNING: May contain OOC, foul language, various point-of-view, and possible lemons!**

* * *

 **I : Her Vacation Starts**

* * *

 _ **At an Apartment Complex in the 20th Ward**_

"Alright, miss. Sure 'ya don't need help carrying these boxes?"

"No, it's alright. I'll manage somehow," I assure the man. Just leave so I can use my quinque already! "If 'ya say so," he says, rolling up the window before driving off.

I look at the tons of boxes blankly. "How should I do this..." I mutter, thinking of how Asura was going to pick them up.

Asura is my quinque, a weapon made of a ghoul's kagune and used by humans. Asura is an SS rate Bikaku type quinque, and is the kagune of the ghoul who slaughtered my family. Now, I use his kagune to fight for me. Serves him right for killing off my remaining family members on my birthday. _Bitch._

Suddenly, an idea popped up in my head.

'Perfect' I thought while activating Asura. Tail-like whips protruded from the back of my "belt" and latched onto various sides of the box pile. _Yes!_ It works. "Let's go, Asura," I say while walking towards the stairs of the complex.

As I reach the top, I take out a piece of paper that had the apartment number on it. "Just two more doors," I mutter. Getting to the door, I fish for the apartment key in my pockets. "Where the fuck...ugh, you've gotta be kidding me."

As I was focused completely on getting the key, I failed to notice someone step out of his apartment. The sound of the door closing and locking made me jump a bit, losing Asura's grip on the boxes and causing them to fall to the floor. Thankfully, they didn't fall to the ground since we were on the second floor.

"Oh, sorry! Are you alright?" someone asks me. I turn to see a rather frail looking male, who seemed to be the same age as me. "Um, miss?"

"Oh- I'm sorry," I apologized, causing him to become flustered for who knows what reason.

"N-No! I should be the one apologizing. Would you like some help with those?" he asks me. Crap, that's right. I can't use my quinque with him around. "Uh, yes, please. If you don't mind."

"Ah, my name is Kaneki Ken. It's nice to meet you..." he trailed off while putting out a hand for me to shake.

Taking his hand, I introduce myself, "Mami. Shibuya Mami. It's nice to meet you, too, Ken-kun."

"K-Ken...-kun?"

"Oh, sorry. It's a habit I picked up in school. I'm not one for using someone's surname, is that all right with you? I'd understand if it wasn't-" "Ah, no. It's fine, Shibuya-san. I was just surprised," he tells me.

"Good. And _Shibuya-san?_ No way are you calling me _that_. Forget it. Drop it. And leave it," I scold him. "A-Alright, Mami-chan." I simply smile at him. Calling me "Shibuya-san" is taboo.

At least...in the CCG, anyway.

The guys at Anteiku don't even call me that.

He helped me bring in a few boxes into the apartment before asking me, "So, you're moving in, Mami-chan?" "Ah, no. I'm on vacation from work," I tell him.

"Eh? You're working, Mami-chan? What about school? Actually, how old _are_ you?" I glance at him over my shoulder as he places down two more boxes. "I'm seventeen. And I don't really need to go to college. I took advanced classes at the academy I went to, but my guardian said that college would only get in the way of work," I explain. "I see..." he trails off before walking outside to take in the two of the three boxes left. I shrug it off and take the last box.

* * *

After all the boxes were inside, I walk with Ken-kun outside. It was still pretty early in the day.

"Don't you need to unpack, Mami-chan?" he asks me. I giggle a bit, not noticing the slight pink that appeared on his face as he heard me laugh, and say, "I can always do that later. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm going to the bookstore before I head to school," he tells me. "Ah, the life of a college student. What course are you taking?"

"Literature," he answers.

"Oh, so you're into books?" I ask, now interested. "Ah, yes," he starts and shows me the book that, I now notice, he had in his hands the entire time. My eyes widen as I read the title.

"That's one of Takatsuki Sen's works!"

"You read his work, too, Mami-chan?" he asks me. I nod my head eagerly as we start talking about her books. Takatsuki Sen's works were really interesting. In fact, they reflected the life of a ghoul.

Or at least, I thought that's what it was.

Any _normal_ human would think it was just dark and gory, but any other ghoul or person who knows about ghouls would think otherwise.

It was kind of weird to see someone like Ken-kun reading books like these. Then again, the nicest of guys _always_ have a dark side in some way. It was like a given. After all, no one is perfect.

We kept walking, and talking, until we reached the bookstore. Still keeping up the conversation about books and a few other things, we walked into the store and checked out a few books. He even suggested that I read Sen-san's latest work, and that he would lend me his copy once he gets back to the complex. I took him up on that offer because I haven't been able to buy _anything_ the past few months. Work had gotten _slightly_ busier since the binge-eater and some other ghoul from 13 appeared.

* * *

After checking out, I offered to walk with him to his college, Kamii University.

We started talking about more... _personal_ things.

 _Like family._

He told me about his mother, and I told him about my family.

"I'm...sorry, Mami-chan," he apologized. I smiled at him and laughed a bit, "Why are you apologizing? There's nothing for you to be sorry about." He smiles back at me. We walked in silence for a bit before he spoke up again, "So...you're with the CCG?"

...Crap, I slipped.

"A-Ah... that's- well- ***sigh*** Yes, I am," I stutter.

"So, you've been... _killing ghouls?_ " he asks. I glance at him before looking to the sky as we walked, nodding in reply. "I've been...killing ever since I learned to hold a weapon properly. At first, I thought it was the right thing to do... But now, I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean-" "Kaneki!" someone yells from ahead of us. I look to the front to see a blonde, err- somewhat blonde, male calling out for Ken-kun as he runs up to us. "You're finally here! I thought you'd never come~" he says as he fake cries. "Sorry, Hide. Something came up."

" _Something?_ Looks like _someone_ to me," "Hide" says as he looks towards me, grinning. "What? You get a girlfriend, Kaneki?" he teases while elbowing his friend. I tilt my head a bit, as if I was confused at the current situation. "H-Hide! She's not my girlfriend!"

"Haha! I was just kidding, Kaneki~ Anyway, who _is_ this lovely, young lady and _what_ are you doing with Kaneki?" he asks me.

I give him a blank stare as I introduce myself, "Shibuya Mami. I moved into the same apartment complex as Ken-kun-" "Ken-kun~? First name basis already?!"

"Hide!"

I laughed at his antics, causing the two to look at me. "You have a really cute laugh, Mami-chan~" I stop and look at him, then at Ken-kun.

 ***bzzt*bzzt***

'My cell' I fish out my phone from my pocket and look at the text message that was sent.

To: Mami  
Fr: Touka  
Sub: Anteiku

 _Mami, I heard from the manager that you're coming to the ward today. Are you stopping by Anteiku?_

Reply | Forward | Delete

I smile a bit and hit the "Reply" button.

To: Touka  
Fr: Mami  
Sub: Re:Anteiku

 _You heard right. I'm at a college not to far from there, I'll stop by after I say goodbye to my new friends._

Send | Delete

 _This message has been sent._

"Mami-chan?"

"Hm?" I hummed.

"Who was that?"

"A friend of mine. She works at a cafe not too far from here. I plan to stop by- actually, I might stay there for the day. You two should come by sometime. The coffee is really good," I tell them.

"Maybe next time-" "How 'bout tomorrow? Sound good?" Hide suggests. "Alright, see you!" I call out as I walk off, Hide dragging Ken-kun towards the college.

'Ah, I forgot to get his full name.'

* * *

 _ **At Anteiku**_

The bells attached to the door rang, meaning a customer has just walked into the cafe.

"Welcome," a blue-haired girl greeted. "Oh, _Mami_. It's just you."

I pout at her.

"That's not nice, Touka. I'm still a customer-" "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, the manager wants to talk to you inside," she tells me. I blink at her before nodding and walking through the backdoor. I wonder what he wants.

Walking down the hallway, I make it to the- ...the...actually, I have no idea what they call this room. Everyone just gathers here at some point.

"Yoshimura-san? You wanted to speak with me?" I ask as I walk into the room. "Ah, Mami-kun Come, sit," he says, gesturing for me to take the seat across from him. As I make my way to the couch, he says, "I heard you found an apartment."

"Yes, well, It's a friend's apartment. Everything's been paid for by my guardian, but he did say I'll need to pay for the bills the rest of my vacation," I tell him. "I see...if that's the case, how would you like to work part-time at Anteiku?" he offers. "R-Really? But, you know-" "That you're a _human?_ That doesn't matter to us."

I contemplate on it for a bit. I do need the money...and I won't get any money from the CCG since I'm on vacation.

"Alright. I'll take you up on that offer, but I have a condition..."

* * *

And that was how I became a part-time waitress and full-time informant for Anteiku.

Though, I only work Tuesday-Friday as a waitress. And working as an informant was something he definitely _did not_ expect. After all, I'd be going against everything I had lived for.

My condition was working four days a week as well as being a "ghoul-exclusive secret informant".

I'd be giving them information about the CCG's whereabouts and when to avoid them, as well as where they can find dead bodies to feed off of. That was one of the things I learned upon my last visit here. If I was going to be in their care, I may as well do something in return, right? Besides, now that I know all ghouls aren't as bad as they seem, there's got to be a real solution to fix the situation between humans and ghouls once and for all.

 _...Way to be optimistic, Mami._

The next day, as promised, I took Hide and Ken-kun to Anteiku. Yoshimura-san said he'd wait until I was fully settled into my apartment before letting me work. The two seemed to really like the little cafe and decided to come here every so often. _With me._ That's when I told them I'd be working part-time at Anteiku. When I told them that, Hide decide that they'd definitely come back often to see me. It was silly but kind of him. Ken-kun said he'd come back to visit or to just read a book and relax. It went like that for the next few days.

Those days became weeks.

Those weeks became months.

And those months became a whole year.

 _That's when I realized._

It had been a _whole year_ since I've been away from the CCG. Away from the fighting. The blood. The killing. I even became a whole year older before I realized it!

 _But I was wrong._

I wasn't kept away from any of it. I realized that too late. Because one night, I got a call from the CCG.

The binge-eater was on the loose. _Here._

 _In the 20th Ward._

* * *

 _ **Are you going to kill, too?**_

* * *

 **How was that? It must've been weird, I can just feel it. Anyway, hope you enjoy this and the rest of my fanfics~**

 **R &R? Tell me what you think! Contribute your ideas! I'll take 'em all ~ Well?**

 _ **Or are the humans to blame?**_

* * *

 **ffxshilayt aka Shila -**


	3. II

**EDIT: 9/3/2015**

* * *

 _ **Are ghouls the ones at fault?**_

* * *

 **Author's Corner!**

 **I based this chapter completely on memory, though it probably won't matter as much since it's mostly Mami's POV.**

* * *

 **Legend: ' ' are thoughts, " " are characters speaking, *bold* are actions done by characters,** _ **italics**_ **represent past events, memories, texts/etc, and emphasis, and** _ **bold italics**_ **time skips.**

 **WARNING: May contain OOC, foul language, various point-of-view, and possible lemons!**

* * *

 **II : Kamishiro Rize, the Binge-eater**

* * *

It was a normal day here at Anteiku.

 _Or so I thought._

Ever since I got that call, my guard has been up 24/7. I was _supposed_ to be on vacation, yet they call to warn me about the S rate ghoul?!

 _"Though, I guess you don't have to worry. The binge-eater only feeds on_ men _."_ That is what Amon told me.

And that made me incredibly worried, because I have two _male_ friends who could care less about ghouls. _At least, I hoped they didn't_. So, I took it upon myself to hack into the CCG files on my computers last night (yes, plural) and find more information on the female ghoul. It's a good thing I have my own private account in the database. _No one_ will know what I'm doing or what I'm looking for.

As an informant, I should be able to do this much.

Finding, getting, and giving information at a certain price is what I do after all.

Even though I was _supposed_ to be _exclusive_ to Anteiku, ghouls around the ward have been coming to me for information on all sorts of things, but I didn't mind. It earned me extra bucks, and I was glad to accept that money.

Anyway, I found out from one of my clients (not gonna say his name, it's business) that her name is Kamishiro Rize. And today, I found out from Touka that she was a customer at Anteiku. I've never seen her before and the information about her in the CCG database was pretty vague, so I was determined to get a look at her today.

As I cleaned a few glasses behind the counter, I look towards my friends as they sat at a table near the windows. The TV was currently on the news channel, a report stating that several men were found dead last night, and that the CCG had looked into the case. It was a ghoul. 'Must be the binge-eater...What do I do if she goes after Hide or Ken?' Whilst I was drowning in worry, Hide was laughing at Ken's idea of a first date.

"It's not _that_ funny, is it?"

"I'm just saying, you can't have a _first date_ at a _bookstore_ , y'know?" I actually wouldn't mind having a first date at a bookstore, being a fan of books and all.

"Why not? She might be thrilled, you know!"

"I'll say this now, _it won't happen_. Case dismissed."

"Huh? Then first, I'll take her out to Big Girl, just the two of us, and we'll get a burger." Ah, you're so innocent, Ken. Hide continued to laugh, slamming his hand against the table. 'What a friend...'

"I'm giving you a serious answer," I hear Ken say. "No, it's great! It's great, just like you! But as a _date_ , it'll be a _flop_ ," Hide tells him. "What's with you, telling me it's no good. Then what would you do, Hide?"

"Listen up. You have to choose a place where the girl will be pleased when making a date."

"Such as?"

"Eh? S-Such as..." he trails off. "You don't even know, yourself, Hide," Ken voices out my exact thoughts. "If I _knew_ , I wouldn't be _here_ spending my afternoon on a _date_ with _you_. Even _if_ Mami-chan is here," Hide deadpans. "I guess that's true..." The news report stated that the crime had happened in a building not far from here. "That's pretty close, huh?" I hear Hide mutter as he looks out the window over his shoulder. I watch them as I continue to clean the glasses.

"So? _So, so, so?_ Who is she? The cute girl you mentioned? Oh, that's her right?" he asks while looking at...Touka? I let a "pfft" escape my mouth before I regained my composure and continued to clean. "No, it isn't. Sure, she's cute, too..."

"Excuse me!" Hide calls for her. 'Here we go...'

"One cappuccino, please! What about you, Kaneki?"

"I still don't..."

"Also, what's your name?" he deadpans. "Hide!" _The idiot_. "It's Kirishima Touka," she says quietly. And shyly. "Touka-san! Are you seeing anyone?!" Hide asks her.

"Stop that, you idiot!" "Hide, don't harass our workers!" Ken and I yell at him.

"Hmm... How lovely~"

"What'll happen if we get kicked out of here?! This shop is the one place where she and I both-" ***bells ring***

"She's...the one."

The lady who came into the store passes by the counters, Touka and I looking at her blankly. 'That's her alright...' leaving that snide comment in my mind. He has _no idea_ what he's in for. I turn back to Ken as he stares at her, watching her every move.

"Give it up," Hide tells him. "Huh?"

" _You_ and _her_ would be Beauty and whatever-" "It's the Beast."

"Well then... Now that I've seen you lovelorn, I best be on my way," Hide says, leaving a tip on the book that sat on the table. "Wha- Hide?"

"See you later, Touka-chan~ And I'll see you tomorrow, Mami-chan~" "Yeah, yeah," I wave him off. "Good luck, delusional Kaneki!" he calls out to his best friend. "Get going, would you?!" I yell at him as he grins at me, sending me a wink before leaving. Sighing, I finish cleaning the last glass and turn to Touka.

"Touka, I'm gonna take my break now."

"Alright."

With that, I walk to the back and think back to my previous worry.

The _lady_ who walked into the shop. The _same lady_ whom Ken likes.

Kamishiro Rize, the binge-eater.

Little did I know, the two would be going on a date this Sunday.

* * *

 _ **Evening**_

I took a detour before I went back to the apartment complex. I just couldn't focus. Walking it off seemed like the best idea once I got off work.

That is...if only these three _ghouls_ hadn't been _following me_.

The 20th ward CCG called me, _again,_ telling me to be careful at night. Apparently, ghouls have been eating non-stop lately. 'Binge-eaters...' I was getting pretty pissed off by how they kept following me. They wanna do this the hard way? So be it.

Walking down the sidewalk, I take a turn at the next alley. 'Let's get this over with.' I walk further into the alley and stop before reaching the end.

"Hey guys, look what we have here?"

"She took us into an alley... Don't tell me you wanna play with us, girl?"

"She's got a pretty face, too."

 _Gag me._ I turn around to face them, the look on my face caused them to step back a bit.

"You _assholes_ have been following me for the last _thirty minutes_..." Asura activates. My hair falls over my right eye, leaving my left to glare down at them. "Normally, I would let the CCG handle this, since I'm on vacation..." I trail off as my quinque protrudes from the back of my belt. "Sadly, you _pissed me off_ within those 30 minutes."

"N-No way..."

"She's a dove!"

"Let's get outta here!"

Before they even tried, Asura had a tight grip around their bodies. "Would you look at that...three "tails" for each of you." I smirk. Asura's whip-like tails wrapped around them, one on their heads and two around their bodies. "Asura?

 _Let's pop 'em_."

With that, Asura squeezed them until they burst like balloons. Blood splattering everywhere, no trace of their bodies left behind. A somewhat "clean" job, if I do say so myself. I, on the other hand, had managed to stay clean, not a single drop of their blood getting on me.

 _How?_

Sakra activated on impulse and shielded me.

 _Why?_

I don't know. But she's always been like this, even with dad. I grimaced as I looked at all the blood. "Hmph..."

Pulling my the hood of my jacket over my head, I walk out of the alley and go back to the complex.

* * *

 _ **Sunday**_

"Kaneki-san, what's your favorite work by Takatsuki?"

"It would have to be his debut book," I answer, taking a bite of the food I ordered. "It was a debut hit, after all," she adds. "The delicacy amidst all the extremeness, you might say."

"Y-Yes, exactly. To have that much talent in writing, and still be in his teens when it came out- ***cough*cough*** "

"Are you alright?" Rize-san asks me while leaning over the table. As soon as I open my eyes, my gaze lands on her chest. I felt my face heat up. "I-I'm fine. Er, I mean...that is... Rize-san, you don't eat much, do you?"

 _Smooth. Real smooth._

"Eh? Oh... Actually, um, I'm on a dietary regimen..." She gets up and says, "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom." Bowing before leaving the table, I watch her retreating figure. "She's a girl..."

 ***bzzt*bzzt***

Hm? I pull out my phone to see the notification. "A text from Hide?" I wonder aloud.

To: Kaneki Ken  
Fr: Hide  
Sub: Mami-chan

 _Yo, Kaneki! How's your date? Ahahaha!_

 _Anyway, have you heard anything from Mami-chan? She hasn't picked up any of my calls or replied to any of my texts. You live in the same complex, so could you see what's up? Please and thank you!_

 _Oh, and tell me all about your girlfriend!_

Reply | Forward | Delete

Is something wrong with Mami-chan? I hit "Reply".

To: Nagachika Hideyoshi  
Fr: Hide  
Sub: Re:Mami-chan

 _No, I haven't heard anything. I wonder what could be wrong. When I get back home, I'll go check up on her, okay? And she's not my girlfriend! Hide, you idiot!_

Send | Delete

 _This message has been sent._

* * *

 _ **Evening**_

"Thank you very much for today," Rize-san says. "No, thank you. I-It's been fun."

"The truth is, I...live near where these recent incidents have been..."

"Ah, the ghouls?" I ask. She flinches a bit. "I'm awfully bad at handling things like this. Just thinking about it even...I can't stop trembling."

"Don't worry. Please, rest assured. I'll see you home," I tell her. We walk through the town after I offered to send her home.

"Yes, so then Hide asked me "Which do you like better, me or novels?""

"He sounds like a funny person," she comments. "Yes."

"Was there something that served to turn you on to books?" she asks. "My dad left us a lot of books in our house. I lost my dad before I can even remember. I liked the books he left, and while my mom was out working, I spent the time reading them," I tell her. "Then, ever since my mom died... You know, Hide is the only one I've ever told this to."

"Is that so... Ah," she stops and points to the right path of the fork intersection. "Oh, okay." We continued walking until we reached an area near the railroad. ( **A/N: or monorail whatever the term they use in Japan** ) "Well, I'm right over here, so..." I stop walking.

"...Rize-san!"

She turns to look at me. "Um, if you wouldn't mind, can I see you again?" I ask. "We do have a similar taste in books, and we are the same age... There's a lot we have in common, huh?" We stayed silent for a moment as a train passed by.

"Kaneki-san."

"Y-Yes?" I stutter.

"The truth is, I noticed you," she says, coming closer to me and burying her face into my chest. "The way you were looking at me."

"Huh? Then, you mean...you, too..." She moves her face away from my chest and to my shoulder, "Yes. I, too...happen to be _interested_ in you." My face lit up when I heard this. But, then...

I felt _pain_.

Coming from my shoulder. The smell of blood reaching my nose. My eyes widen as I glance at Rize-san from the corner of my eye. She backs away from my shoulder, my blood all over her face. "Ah, _delicious!_ "

I fall to the ground, dropping the bags, my blood splattering over them. I grip my shoulder, wincing in pain. "Kaneki-san, there's something I like even more than reading. Know what it is? It's pulling out all the organs of someone who isn't trying to run away from me!" I look up at her in shock.

" _Ah~ Aha!_ That expression! _It's fantastic!_ Would you let me... _thrill myself even more?!_ " she asks me, taking off her glasses as she comes closer.

Her eyes changing as she takes them off. She laughs crazily as these tail-like things pop out of her body. 'I-I have to get out of here!' I sprawl off the floor and try to run away. _'No way! No way! No way! No way! No way! No way! No way!'_ I repeat in my head. I trip and fall to the floor once more, her "tail" pulling me back and throwing me against the wall. " _AAHHH!_ "

Somehow, I manage to stand afterwards.

" _Ka~ne~ki~san!_ " I hear Rize-san yell as she jumps through the air towards me. Her "tails" grab me as she continues to laugh. One of her "tails" piercing me through my stomach, blood leaving me through my mouth and new wound. "I'm going to _gently_ scarmble up your insides for you now, okay? Huh, did you _die?_ That's too bad. I really _did_ like you. There's just the right amount of fat on you. You look nice and soft...and _easy to eat_." As she says this, pipes from above fall onto her, piercing her body.

 _Killing her._

"How...could...this..."

I was barely conscious, but I could make out someone calling my name and the sirens of the police and ambulance.

I blacked out.

* * *

 _"We'll begin operating immediately."_

'What is this? Where is this place? I thought I was on a date with Rize-san...'

 _"Prepare for organ transplant." "Without the consent of the next of kin?!"_

'Organ? Next of kin? What exactly are they talking about?'

 _"Kano-sensei!" "I will accept full responsibilty. Transfer her organs into him!"_

'It's warm. Is this...?'

 _"..en! Ken! You'll be just fine, okay?! Ken!"_

* * *

Kaneki had woken up. As of now, he is eating his meal, grimacing at the first bite. 'This is weird. What's going on?'

"Kaneki-san!"

Said male quickly pulled the covers over him and laid back in bed. The nurse comes by and notices his food. "Is this allyou're going to eat?" she asks. He doesn't answer. "Oh, right. Your friends came by again. Ah, Kano-sensei."

"How are we feeling, Kaneki-kun?" Kano-sensei asks as he walks towards Kaneki's area. Kano checks on his body and says, "I hear you haven't eaten anything since you were admitted, but there doesn't seem to be anything wrong in particular." Looking up a bit, Kaneki says, "Um... There's something wrong...with my sense of taste."

"Sense of taste?"

"It's like everything tastes icky..." he trails off, buttoning up his shirt. "That could be psychological in nature. It was a pretty serious accident, after all," Kano tells him. "There's no rush. Take all the time you need to heal. I'll be by again later."

'Nothing wrong in particular?'

As Kano leaves the room, Kaneki hears a familiar voice coming from the hall.

"Kano-sensei! Just _what_ have you _done?!_ "

'Mami-chan? he thought.

"Shibuya-kun, silence yourself," Kano scolds the girl as he closes the hospital room door.

* * *

He walked through town, deep in thought. 'It almost seems like the events of that whole day with Rize-san were something that never really happened. But one thing is for sure... Ever since then, something has been...something has been _strange_.'

He made it to his apartment, a bag perched onto his apartment door's handle. A note stuck out from the bag. It said:

 _"Kaneki!_

 _Congratulations on your discharge! Presenting some left over high-quality ingredients from my place, along with your favorite hamburger that Mami-chan bought for you. I hope you appreciate it! Wahahaha!_

 _Oh, yeah! Apparently, Mami-chan was at a very important meeting and her phone was turned off! Seems we worried for nothing~_

 _P.S. When you're up to it, come on back to school. It's rough here on my own."_

Kaneki plopped onto his bed, holding up the note. 'Hide...Thanks.' Whilst he was holding it up, he noticed there was writing on the back. Flipping it over, he read:

 _"To Ken,_

 _I've talked to Kano-sensei about your condition. I'm really worried. Ah! It's nothing major, really. It just...concerns me. I hope you feel better. I'll try to stop by later._

 _P.S. Be careful when you eat._

 _From Mami"_

'When I eat? Does Mami-chan know what's happening to me?'

* * *

 _ **Evening**_

 _"A ghoul doesn't have any need to eat this much in this short amount of time in the first place."_

Kaneki had turned on the TV, tuned into a channel with a ghoul expert explaining why ghouls don't eat human food.

 _"One dead body will allow them to survive for a month or two." "Ogura-san, can't ghouls be satisfied by eating the same food as humans do?"_

This caught Kaneki's attention.

 _"No, ghouls are only able to derive their nutrition from people. Not to mention that their tongues work differently than ours do. When they eat human food, it tastes incredibly awful to them."_

Kaneki's eyes widen, shocked at what he heard as he looks at the television. Relaying what the expert had said once more, he gets up from his bed and runs to the kitchen. He grabs the grocery bag that Hide left him.

 _"Be careful when you eat."_

He recalls Mami's words from the note. Gulping, he takes the sandwich(?) ( **A/N: looked like a burger to me** ) and slowly brings it to his mouth. After two bites, he covers his mouth and runs to the bathroom, throwing up the contents.

'No way...'

He tries and tries again. Scavaging through all of the food in his apartment, only to throw it up right after.

 _"Along with your favorite hamburger that Mami-chan bought for you."_

It was the last thing left for him. He had to try. He had to _know_. So he took the packet, boiled it and served it on a plate. 'Mami-chan...did you go out and buy this just for me?' Cutting a piece of the meat, he brings it slowly to his mouth, shaking. As he bites into it, a tear falls from his eye as he drops to his knees.

'This can't be happening,' he thought.

* * *

 _ **Timeskip to the Next Evening (because I'm lazy)**_

I was about to take the sign as I notice Touka looking elsewhere. "Hm? What's the matter, Touka?" I ask her.

"Ah, just... Mami, come with me," she says as she walks back into the shop. We change our clothes ( **A/N: the second full body pic in her character page** ) and run out of the shop.

"Where are we going?" I ask her as we run. "Somewhere."

"That's _so_ descriptive, Touka," I tell her sarcastically. "Just shut up and come with me," she groans. "Hey, I'm older than you, y'know," I scold her. "Yeah, whatever," she brushes me off.

The nerve of this girl.

We make it to an alley, Touka telling me to keep quiet as we continue forward. Not that I'm against it, I could sense it from here. _The bloodlust._

As we get closer, I could make out someone say, "That's why I'm killing you, as punishment for trespassing on _my_ feeding grounds-" " _Whose fucking feeding grounds?_ " Touka cuts him off. We jump off the roof and land on the ground a good distance away from them. I look at the two figures ahead of us. Isn't that Ken? And Nishiki? What the fuck is going on here?!

"Since when were these your feeding grounds, Nishiki?"

"Touka, Mami..." he says, letting go of Ken in the process. I step forward once as he continues, "I know. She's dead, right? That binge-eating woman."

"And that makes these _your_ feeding grounds?" Touka retorts as I glare at him. "The task of distributing the feeding grounds Rize stole from the weaker ghouls, and otherwise managing the 20th Ward, belongs to those of us at Anteiku," she tells him as her kakugan activates.

" _Hah?!_ A bunch of fence-sitters like Anteiku have no right to go picking over every little thing! You even have a _dove_ working there!" I bite my lip as he says that. "This was _my_ feeding ground in the first place, before Rize came-" " _Beacuse you were weak_."

"Being insulted by a smart-mouthed punk who's younger than I am is something that _really_ pisses me off," he says as he walks towards us, his kagune beginning to show on his leg. Stepping away, I swiftly move past him and run to Ken. Thank the Lord for blessing me with high physical capabilities.

"Ken, are you okay?" I ask him, kneeling beside him.

"I-I'm fine... Mami-chan, how did you-" "Touka brought me here. I guess she sensed this _bastard_ from a mile away."

"Enough!" he yells, charging forward as Touka does the same. However, Touka was faster than him. He slides back, still on both feet. "You'll have to cut deeper than that!"

"Is that so?" Cuts appear on various parts of his body, causing him to stumble a bit. "Can I go even _harder_ next time?" Instead of fighting back, he runs away. "Take your corpse with you, beansprout."

Ken was breathing heavily beside me. 'I guess it's come to this...' I turn to Touka, who was walking up to us, and say, "Touka, he can't last much longer. His kakugan is unstable." He was staring at the dead body, slowly moving towards it. Touka picks up an arm, holding it up for him to see.

"You want this?"

I turn back to Ken, who was reaching out to grab it before his other hand grabbed his wrist, holding him back. "You're not eating?" Touka asks. " _Touka_." Tears were now streaming down his face.

"Then again, only one of your eyes is differ..ent... _You're_ the one who was with Rize." My eyes narrow as she says this.

"Why weren't you eaten? Then again... _your eye_."

"Please help me!" I hear him say. "Ken?"

"I know you may not believe this, but I'm human. And yet...I want to eat _that..._ I want to _eat_ it so bad I can't help it. But if I do... I won't be human anymore!"

"Ken- you..." I trail off. This is worse than I thought.

"If you're in that much pain, then _eat_ ," Touka tells him, holding out the arm for him to eat. He was about to give in, but refrains from doing so and smacks the arm out of her hand. "No way!" he yells, his head now against the ground. He repeats this eight times before saying, "There's _no way_ I can _eat_ something like _that_ , right? What the heck is this? What is it to _be_ a _ghoul? Killing_ people... _Killing_ each other... I'm not like that. I'm... _human!_ "

This was becoming harder for me to watch. I turn away from where I sat near him, looking at the wall.

'Kano-sensei...'

"This is ridiculous. Why not give in already? If you don't have the nerve to eat...then I'll give you a hand." I turn back to see Touka rip out something from the corpse and shove it into Ken's mouth.

"T-Touka?!"

 _He swallowed it._

* * *

 _ **Are you going to kill, too?**_

* * *

 **This took a while for me to write since we had no net. I think it was a typhoon that passed by last night? It was heavy rain for like two hours, but I had headphones and blasted my music so I didn't know. The reason I can't upload anything or work on anything is because we have no net, and I need net to watch/read for more content. I'm sooooo sorry /crying/ ; v ; Expect more from me~**

 **R &R? Tell me what you think! Contribute your ideas! I'll take 'em all ~ Well?**

 _ **Or are the humans to blame?**_

* * *

 **ffxshilayt aka Shila -**


	4. III

**EDIT: 9/3/2015**

* * *

 _ **Are ghouls the ones at fault?**_

* * *

 **Author's Corner!**

 **Here's another chapter! I was eating whilst I watched the episode and wrote this, so the process was superduper slow. Anyway Enjoy ~**

 **R &R ~ Read On!**

* * *

 **Legend: ' ' are thoughts, " " are characters speaking, *bold* are actions done by characters, italics represent past events, memories, texts/etc, and emphasis, and bold italics time skips.**

 **WARNING: May contain OOC, foul language, various point-of-view, and possible lemons!**

* * *

 **III : One-Eyed Ghoul**

* * *

" _Eat it!_ " she told him, pushing him against the wall. I stood up from where I was sitting and attempted to pull Touka back. "Touka, quit it!"

 _He swallowed it._

Right after he swallowed it, Touka let go. Ken got down on the floor, throwing up the piece of body he just ate. I glared- well, _tried to_ glare at Touka. "You didn't have to _do_ that. He said he didn't want it!" "Well, he has to _eat_ or he'll _starve!_ Do you want that, Mami?!"

"Why would you do that to me?! There's no way I can eat human flesh!" he gagged. "I'm human! I'm not like you monsters!"

"Ken!" I yell. Touka walks up to him, beating him up. "Touka, I said quit it!"

"Well? If _I'm_ a monster, what does that make _you?_ " she asks, crouching down behind him.

"I'm begging you, please, tell me... What am I supposed to do? Everything has sucked since that day!" Still hung up on Rize, I see... "Sucked, huh? I wish you'd tell _me_ something. What does cake _really_ taste like? It's so nasty, it makes me want to puke, so I can't tell. But it's something that humans _enjoy_ eating, isn't it?" she asks. " _Touka_ ," I stress, again. She glares at me a bit before continuing. "What was it like, living a peaceful life? One where you didn't need to live in fear of CCG and other ghouls?" I turned away.

Talking about the CCG whilst I'm here is not something I want to take part in. She hates the CCG with a passion, yet she became _friends_ with me. Pride to the CCG, youngest of the elites. I hated it. _All of it._ I _never_ wanted to risk my life. I _never_ asked to fight. I just wanted to live a _normal life_ , that's why I came to the 20th Ward, yet... Everything fell apart when they called me about _her_. _Rize._

She _ruined_ everything.

She _ruined_ Ken's life. And...

...she _ruined_ the peace I thought I had finally found.

"Everything has sucked? Don't _fuck_ with me. Does that mean that everything has sucked since I was _born? Well?_ Tell me!" she yells, throwing something at Ken. I turned back to see what she threw. It was...

" _AAHHHH!_ "

* * *

 _ **Later that Evening**_

My stomach was growling.

I sat on the bed, contemplating about the package I received.

 _"I'm... I'm human!" I yell as she grabs my head, throwing me across the floor. I sit back up, only to stop when she raises her foot, pinning me where I sat._

 _She...sniffs(?) and says, "You're not a_ ghoul, _that's for sure. But you're not a_ human, _either. There's no place left for a_ halfer _like you anymore."_

 _"I... I'm..."_

 _"If you want to be_ human _so badly, why don't you see how long you can_ starve? _I'll tell you right now, starvation for a ghoul is utter_ hell _."_

 _"Touka! That's enough!" Mami-chan yells at her. "Mami-chan's right, Touka-chan. I think that's enough." I turn to see the manager of Anteiku standing behind Mami-chan. "Manager..."_

 _"It must've been hard on you, huh? Come with me. Mami-chan, you, too." "A-Ah... Yes, Manager."_

 _"Manager, why-" "Touka-chan...it is_ our policy _to help out our fellow ghouls," he tells her._

 _We walked back to the cafe, the manager brewing some coffee for me and Mami-chan. "Thank you for waiting," he says, placing the cups in front of us. "Here you go." I just stared at it while Mami-chan started drinking hers. She noticed me staring at it and looked at me worriedly. "Do you not like coffee?" he asks me. "It's not that, but..." I trail off._

 _"Kaneki-kun, take a good look at this coffee. What do you think?" I look at the coffee once more. "It looks very delicious," I say._

 _"It's regular coffee."_

 _Mami-chan grabs me hand, placing it on the coffee cup. I look at her surprised. She leans in closer, making me blush a bit at how close her was face to mine, and says, "_ You'll be fine, trust me. _" Mustering up my courage, I take a sip._

 _'It's...'_

 _I drink up all the contents of the coffee and say, "It's delicious. This is delicious!" I close my eyes, feeling the tears that were about to come out. "But no matter what I eat, it tastes awful..." I felt Mami-chan rubbing my back as I said this._

 _"Since a long time ago... Coffee has been the only thing that ghouls have been able to enjoy the same way humans do. However, we cannot satisfy our hunger by drinking it alone. Which is why..." he trails off, gesturing something to Mami-chan. She nods and takes out a package, placing it in front of me. "What is this?" I ask._

 _"When you need more, come on back. You need not hesitate. Or, you can go to Mami-chan. She has her own stock, just in case."_

 _(_ _ **A/N: for this part, we're gonna switch to 3rd person for a bit. Mami offered to take Kaneki home**_ _)_

 _"Manager, why did you help that guy?" Touka asks._

 _"Touka-chan... you remember the story about an organ transplant that appeared on the news, yes? Some steel beams fell, and two students were crushed beneath them. Another female student called the police upon finding the scene. And the doctor, who was an acquaintance of the girl who reported the accident, took it upon himself to transplant the organs from the deceased girl into the surviving young man's body."_

 _"But the girl who died in that accident..."_

 _"It was Rize-chan," he tells her. "Then, you mean..."_

 _"Yes._ He _is that young man. He has had_ ghoul organs _transplanted into him."_

 _"But that's..."_

 _"It's the first time I've seen this happen, but his body may be becoming like ours," he says._

My stomach growled again.

I put my hands on my head, repeating the word "Flesh" hysterically. _"You're neither a ghoul, nor a human. There's no place left for a halfer like you anymore."_

 **"Who cares if you're a halfer. Neither a human, nor a ghoul... You're still you.** _ **Enjoy**_ **being a halfer. That delicious** _ **flesh**_ **is waiting for you. It's** _ **so**_ **delicious, it's** _ **tantalizing**_ **."** My eyes widen as I see her come behind me, holding my face. **"Once you start eating it, you won't be able to stop. It will put any steak to shame."**

" _AAHHH!_ " I scream, kneeling before the low-table.

 **"Now, go on.** _ **Wolf it down**_ **. It's prepared** _ **extra-specially**_ **rare."**

Grabbing the package I was about to tear open, I get a notification. Looking away, I throw the package across the room, not paying attention to my phone or the muffled yelling that came from Mami-chan's apartment.

 _New Message_

 _ID: Hide  
Sub: You're gonna die alone_

* * *

 _ **The Next Day**_

I decided to go back to Kamii. Walking to the entrance, I look at my phone, the text from last night on my screen.

To: Kaneki Ken  
Fr: Hide  
Sub: You're gonna die alone

 _Missing you a bunch in Asian History..._

 _You need my notes?_

Reply | Forward | Delete

"Hide..." I mutter, walking by the cafeteria.

"Have you ever been to the sweets shop in front of the station?" I hear a girl ask her friend. I stop walking to listen to their conversation. "That place has the tastiest stuff, right?" I notice her friend eating a sandwich when someone jumped on me from behind.

"Kaneki, you bastard! How long are you gonna skip class, you jerk?!"

Hide gets off me, stands in front of me and places his hands on my shoulders. "Put yourself in my shoes! When rabbits get lonely, they can die! Even though Mami-chan is attending for a while, It's still pretty lonely~" he cooes. "Sorry for not being much company," I hear Mami-chan say sarcastically as she walks up to us.

"Hide, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"And what's up with the eye-patch? You styling it up? Anyway, while you were gone, I was so bored that before I knew it, I've joined the school festival planning committee..."

'I'm sorry? Huh? When was it? It feels like this happened before...'

 _"Hey, Kaneki! How long are you gonna stay home?!" a young Hide yells as he jumps onto a young Kaneki's back. "Do you know how hard it is for me when you stay home like this?!"_

Back in reality, he was shaking me the same way he did when we were kids. "Hey, are you listening to me? Kaneki?" Mami-chan pinches his cheek. "Quit it, Hide."

"Oh, sorry. What'd you say?" I ask. He pouts as Mami-chan just stares blankly.

We walk into the school, Mami-chan and I walking behind Hide. "Anyhow, I've got to go see that upperclassman with the sharp tongue to borrow some material from him. Care to join me?"

"Alright," I reply.

"I'm so going to regret agreeing to go with you this morning," Mami-chan remarks.

"Kaneki, are you eating?" he asks me, causing me to stop in my tracks. "You're looking pale. You've gotta eat, or you'll ruin your health."

"A-Ah, yeah..."

"Mami-chan, I thought you were checking up on him?" he asks her, continuing to walk with his hands behind his back. Mami-chan glances at me before continuing, as well. " _I am!_ It's probably just a side-effect from the accident, idiot."

He's always been like that. Hide is sharp witted in some odd ways. He's overly aware of the sentiments of others, so instead, he pretends not to notice anything, out of concern for me. If I were to stop being human, would we never be able to walk together again?

* * *

"I've been wanting to introduce him to you, Kaneki."

"I haven't. The guy's an _asshole_."

"You mean Nishio-san?" I ask them.

"I don't know whether to describe him as toxic or foul-mouthed...or just as someone I feel uneasy around..." Hide says. "Yeah? I can think of him as _all three_ of those things," Mami-chan retorts, causing me to laugh a bit.

"This is it. Pardon the intrusion!" he says as he slides the door open. "Hide, at least knock."

" _Kyaaa!_ " a girl yells from inside, running past us and down the hallway. " _Nooo!_ "

"Nagachika, can't you knock first?" someone asks from inside the room. "Nishio-san...I'm sorry."

"Nothing pisses me off more than having my territory violated."

"Shut up, glasses," Mami-chan says, walking into the room without any concern and sitting on a chair. "Yeah... Oh, this is Kaneki, the best friend I mentioned before." My eyes widen as I saw the guy, not noticing his eyes widening, as well. "Heh..." We walked into the room, Nishio-san standing up to greet me properly. "You don't say. Pharmacy department second year, Nishio Nishiki. Nice to meet you, Kaneki," he says in a...deadly manner. He backs away when an eraser was thrown to his forehead.

"Ah- _What the fuck?_ The hell was that for, Mami?!" I turned to see her sitting on the chair, arm propped up on the table as she leaned on her hand.

"Piss off, Nishiki."

* * *

"You wanted last year's material?" Nishiki asks, rummaging through the files on the shelves. "Yes, I wanted to see the retail data," Hide replies. "Oh, where did I put that?"

Giving up, he sits back on his chair. "Ah, it might be at home."

"Seriously?" I mutter.

"Nagachika, why don't you come with me to get it?" he suggests. "You mean, to your house?" Hide asks. "Mhm."

"Hmm...well, okay." Looking at us, he says, "Kaneki, Mami-chan, sorry but I have to stop by Nishio-san's place, so head on home without me."

 _Not a chance_.

"Um, is it okay if I go, too?" "I'm going with you."

"Huh? What's with you two?" Hide asks us, surprised with what we said. Nishiki turns around in his chair and says, "Sure, why not."

"Huh?"

"It's not like I'm planning on letting him in. And there's no way I'm letting _that girl_ in," he says, causing me to roll my eyes. Of course he wouldn't want a member of the CCG in his house. Like _any ghoul_ would want _that_. "Before we go, I have to smooth things over," he says, picking up his cell and getting out of the chair.

"What's gotten into you two?"

"Ah, nothing," we say simultaneously. "Hmm..."

"Nagachika," Nishiki calls for him. "Eh? What is it?"

"How much did you see earlier?" he asks. "Huh? Oh, just her shoulders."

I looked towards Ken, who looked kind of depressed while thinking about something. Probably something like "Why are there ghouls suddenly appearing around me?", but that isn't true at all. Ghouls were around before he even became one himself. Though, I guess he figured that out on his own.

As he was deep in thought, I grabbed his hand and squeezed it, causing him to look at me surprised. I gave him a serious look and whispered, "Don't worry. Everything...will be fine. You trust me, right?" He nods. I smile a bit and let go of his hand before Hide could see.

* * *

We left the school and headed for Nishiki's place.

' _Asshole..._ Thinks he can get away with eating Hide while we're not looking? He even tried to get him alone, asking him in front of our faces! What kind of _idiot_ ghoul is he?!'

I ranted in my mind, unconsciously pouting while doing so. I stopped pouting when I heard Hide mutter "How cute" then snickering while Ken said "Be quiet, Hide. She'll hear you." As soon as he said that, I glared at the both of them, they smiled nervously in return. Nishiki stopped in front of a food stall. "Want one?"

"Sounds good," Hide replies. I shrug and walk forward with Hide. Ken's probably going to think how Nishiki could actually eat this "disgusting" stuff. 'Ghoul problems...'

"Welcome. These are freshly made," the vendor says as we walk towards the stall. Nishiki offered to pay for us, handing one to Ken first. "Here." 'He's probably nauseous just looking at it' I thought, looking at Ken's expression. "Here," he says, handing one to me and Hide. "Thanks." Thanks so much."

"Kaneki, you in any circles?" he asks, walking away to lean on the wall. I take a bite of the taiyaki and look at Ken. "Oh, I don't do that well around large groups."

"Really?" I ask, covering my mouth. "Hmm. The exact opposite of Nagachika, huh?" Nishiki comments. I continue looking at Ken as he made an expression that screamed anticipation. I turn to look at Nishiki as he took a bite from his taiyaki.

"Mm, what a superb taste."

"Nice and crispy, too, huh?"

"The anko is nice and gooey, too." ( **A/N: Anko means red bean in Japanese** )

"Huh? Kaneki, aren't you eating yours?" Hide asks him. I look at Ken worriedly, though only with my eyes. "Ah, later."

We continue to walk again, passing a store here and there. 'I wonder when he's gonna throw that up...' I thought. A ghoul can pretend to eat human food, but they've gotta throw it up at some point. It's just that awful to them. As we walked by an alley, Nishiki turned around...

...and...

 _...kicked Hide into the alley?!_

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Nishiki?!" I yell at him.

"It would mean trouble if anyone saw this," he says, pushing up his glasses.

"Hide!" Ken yells.

"Who'd have guessed there'd be another ghoul on the same campus," he says, walking around Ken. "You _reek_. You stink like a female ghoul!" He grabs Ken by the neck and pushes him against the wall. "You were planning to _eat_ Nagachika, weren't you?" Nishiki asks him. "There's nothing better to whet the appetite than the moment when you turn on some idiot who completely trusts you, and that look of anguish that crosses their face when the foolish human gives up home, is there, Kaneki?!"

"Fuck off, Nishiki! Ken would _never_ do that to Hide!" I yell at him, completely pissed off. I get into a defensive stance, ready to activate my quinque if needed.

"I'm not like you..." I hear Ken mutter.

"Oh, yeah?" Nishiki lets go of Ken's neck to punch him in the gut, causing him to cough up a lot of blood. "Ken! Nishiki, knock it off!"

"Having a kid younger than me talk back to me _really_ pisses me off. You know what?" he lets go of Ken, causing him to fall to the floor. I notice blood on Nishiki's hands and a hole through Ken's back. "Ken!"

"Your body is awfully fragile. I thought it might be tofu. Ah, I feel gross. Geez, how can humans eat that stuff?" he rambles, walking towards Hide. "It tastes like horse crap," he says, putting his hand deep into his mouth. He started to throw up the contents of the taiyaki, leaving me to gag as I look away. "Gross," I mutter.

"Sorry about that, Kaneki. I've befouled your meal, here." He steps hard on Hide's face. "You've known this guy for a long time, right? You're _best friends_ , right? Just _when_ were you going to _eat_ him?" He steps on Hide again. "Come on, tell me, Kaneki. What were going to eat first?" He continues to step on Hide's head as he lays on the ground unconscious.

"Knock it off, asshole!" I yell, activating Sakra. I walk closer, taking the rapier-quinque into my hand as it appears. "Take your _damned_ foot _off_ of his face."

"Mami, why so serious? You even took out your little toy, _fucking dove_ ," he says while looking at me. "What? You gonna kill me?"

"Shut up! And _don't_ call me a _dove!_ " I yell, charging at him. He dodges my every strike, "Oi, Mami, are you getting soft? I thought you were an _elite_ CCG member!" He kicks me in the stomach and sends me flying against a wall. As my back made contact, I coughed up blood and fell to the floor.

'I'm sorry, Hide... Ken...' I lost consciousness.

* * *

Kaneki leaned against the wall, watching Mami confront Nishiki and get thrown against a wall. "Mami...-chan..."

"Heh... _That_ all you had in you, Mami? Now, what are _you_ gonna do about it, huh, Kaneki?!" he directs his attention to the one-eyed ghoul. Taking his bag into his hands, Kaneki runs at him. "Get off of Hide!"

"Seriously? Attacking with your _bag?_ What are you, a woman?!" he jokes. He dodges his..."attack" and kicks him, sending Kaneki flying and across the floor. "You just don't get it, do you?" Nishiki asks, walking up to Kaneki. "Humans are nothing but things to _eat_ , the way that cows and pigs are to them, right? Are you having fun playing like you're friends with what amounts to _livestock?_ " he asks, gripping Kaneki's head in his hand and pulling him up, slowly.

"I'm not..playing..." I say.

"I see. Then again, I think Nagachika is risky. The guy is no idiot. Just being friends with Mami is troublesome enough, she's a fucking _dove_. Even _you_ have to be aware that having someone as shrewd as they are by your side is going to be dangerous," Nishiki tells him, pulling him up some more. "And _this._.." he starts, flicking off the eye-patch. "You can't even control your own eyes." He kicks Kaneki into a wall.

"Come on, get up. Or should I kill Nagachika and Mami first?"

Getting up, Kaneki throws lame punches at Nishiki, who in return dodges every attempt. "Woah, what's this? Avoid _this!_ " Nishiki says, kicking Kaneki upwards and hitting the ceiling. "I guess I've toyed with you more than enough," he says, walking back to where Hide and Mami lie on the floor. "And I could have taken no time at all by releasing my kagune."

'There's no way...I can beat someone like him... Hide... Mami-chan...!'

"Oh? Very good, that's more like it," Nishiki says, activating his bikaku kagune. "Hurry up, before I crush them both." Stopping, he looks at Hide. "Hm? He's unconscious?"

'You've helped me once again, haven't you?'

"Later, Nagachika," Nishiki says, raising his leg to crush the teen.

'No...No!'

 _"Hey, you. You're always reading books by yourself at school, huh?" a young Hide asks him. "I-Is it wrong?"_

 _"I don't mean that. I just moved here, so I don't have any friends," he tells him. "So would you be my friend?" Nodding, Kaneki replies, "Yeah, sure."_

 _"All right! I'm Nagachika Hideyoshi. Call me Hide. Nice to meet you," he introduces himself, holding out a hand to the young Kaneki._

 _"Nice to meet you, Hide," Kaneki says, taking Hide's hand into his own._

'Even then, when I didn't get along well in class, Hide was concerned and reached out to me.'

 _"Hey, Ken, Hide. What do you think about ghouls?"_

 _"I never thought about it, why?" Hide asks back, Kaneki nodding in agreement._

 _Shrugging, she says, "No reason. Just curious is all- wait, Ken! You read Takatsuki Sen's books and you don't know what to say about ghouls? Are you kidding me?!"_

 _He looks at the book in his hands and replies, "N-No..."_

 _"Are you serious? Her books are practically about ghouls!" she tells him. "Really?"_

 _Relaxing, she says, "Yeah, though I'm not sure how she can be so descriptive about a ghoul's life. Most novelist base their stories on either fiction, non-fiction or real life. I'm thinking Takatsuki Sen based hers on the third option."_

 _"I never thought about it that way," Kaneki tells her. "That's kinda cool! In depth stories on the life of a ghoul," Hide comments._

 _Mami smiles at the two before reverting into a cold expression, "Not really..._

 _The life of a ghoul is hell."_

'And Mami-chan...who's already been through hell,fighting against ghouls since she was a kid...helped me, a human turned ghoul, instead of running away.

No...! I don't want Hide...or Mami-chan to die!'

He crouches on floor, kagune protruding from the back of his waist. "I won't...I won't let that happen!" The kagune attacks Nishiki as he dodges and attacks back. Kaneki latches onto his kagune. "Damn you!"

But it was no use, for Kaneki had a rinkaku type kagune. His other three "tails" attack Nishiki, striking him in the chest and constantly stabbing him in the air and pushing him back. "Stop it! Stop, you dumbass!"

" _I'm dying!_ " he repeats this with every strike. ( **A/N: cos i'm lazy and don't wanna write tons of "I'M DYING!"** )

Blood splatters everywhere as Kaneki mercilessly attacks Nishiki with his kagune. After that, he throws Nishiki to the roof, his head perched on a ledge. "That was...Rize's... Damn it..." he muttered, hanging from the ceiling, guts protruding and blood dropping to the floor.

"Hide...Mami-chan..." Kaneki mutters, looking at his unconscious friends. In his mind, however...

 **"Mhm, he sure looks** _ **tasty**_ **,"** Rize says, poking Hide's cheek. **"What a savory aroma.. It's making me** _ **hungry**_ **. Here, you see? Look closely. Doesn't he look** _ **delicious?**_ **"**

"Stop it! Hide is _not_ for eating!" Kaneki yells at her.

 **"Are you sure about that? Take a good look.** _ **See?**_ **You can tell, right?"**

"Yeah, I can tell," he says, beginning to lose control of his bloodthurst. "He _does_ look good!" He stops midway, clutching his head. " _No!_ Stop that!"

 **"What are you talking about? You _want_ him so bad you can't stand it, right?"** she asks him, hugging him from behind. **"You don't have to put up with it... You're not doing anything wrong."** Moving away, he bangs his head on the van parked in the area. **"Come on, quickly. You can do as you like."**

"As I like?"

 **"He's all yours,"** she tells him.

"All?"

 **"** _ **Go on.**_ **"**

Kaneki looks back at Hide, bloodthirsty. " _You're right._ This is my special treat, isn it? I... I _have_ to eat him... Hide is my..."

 **" _...friend!_ "**

" _Yes!_ He is my _friend_ , so I _have_ to eat him!"

"No, Ken! He's your _friend_...so you _can't_ eat him!" a strained voice yells at the one-eyed ghoul. Turning away from the unconscious Hide, he sees Mami get up from the floor slowly. "Shut up!" he yells.

"You're becoming so much more like us, huh, half-ass?" another asks from in front of him. He looks back and sees Touka standing before him. "Your sense of reason has given way to hunger, hasn't it?" she asks. "Move it!"

"So you don't give a damn about your own friend's life now. Know what? After you gobble this guy up, you'll regret it. In a see of blood and entrails," she tells him. "Such is a ghoul's hunger. _Our destiny_."

Kaneki activates his kagune. "You really are tedious. I'll be understanding this one time. So go down nice and easy!" Touka activates hers as well: an ukaku type kagune. "Touka..! Ken! Quit it!" Mami yells at the two.

"Shut up and stay out of it, Mami! This shithead clearly doesn't know what he's doing, and I'm going to teach him a lesson!"

* * *

Kaneki wakes up, shooting up from his lying position and putting two fingers in his mouth. Upon taking them out, he sees... _blood_.

 ***kachink***

"Touka-chan brought you back here," Yoshimura tells him. "Where's Hide?! And Mami-chan?!"

"Come with me."

They walk to two different rooms. First visiting Mami, who was lying in bed and reading Takatsuki Sen's _Monochrome Rainbow_. Telling him that she was fine and that she didn't have many injuries, they leave to check up on Hide. Yoshimura opens the door of another room, revealing Hide lying on the bed, all injuries taken care of. "Hide!" Hide rolls onto his side, Kaneki glad to see his friends were all right.

"I've been...stricken with hunger this whole time," he says. He puts his fingers in his mouth again. "At that moment _especially_. I was _so_ hungry, I thought I might die. I didn't even realize what I was doing. And then, I went after Hide... But right now, that's completely gone. That blood that was in my mouth... Please, answer me truthfully. What did you do while I was asleep?"

"There is only _one way_ to satisfy a ghoul's hunger. You know what that is, right? The way you were going, you would have set upon your friend, and even Mami-chan," he tells Kaneki. The younger of the two begins to tear up upon hearing this. "You have to know what you are." Kaneki moves away from his touch, leaning his head against the hinges of the door.

"I don't...want to hurt my friends. Which means, I _can't_ be around Hide or Mami-chan anymore. But I _can't_ enter the world of ghouls, either. I, who am neither human nor ghoul, am all alone," he cries out, putting a hand over his face. "There isn't a place for me anymore now..!"

Yoshimura unfolds the blinds and says, "That's not true. You are both ghoul _and_ human. You are the one and only person who has a place in both worlds." Kaneki looks at the man, tears trailing down his face. "Come over to Anteiku. I'm sure it will lead you to the path in which you can keep your own place. I also want you to understand us better. To see whether or not we are just ravenous beasts... And I'm sure Mami-chan would be more than glad to help you out. That girl has already decided on how she views us and is working here at Anteiku. How about it? What do you say about starting by learning how to make a delicious cup of coffee?"

"Well, um... do you think even I can do it?" Kaneki asks.

Unbeknownst to the two, Hide had opened his eyes the moment they left the room.

* * *

 _ **Are you going to kill, too?**_

* * *

 **I finally finish this after like, three days? The internet kept turning off cos of the massive rain. Now I have the urge to do HxH fanfic ; - ; I hope you enjoyed this! If you want to see what she looks like, check out the OC pages posted on my profile! It's the very last section ~ I've hand-drawn my OCs as well, the pictures are just for color scheme and better perspective. I'll post the drawings soon!**

 **R &R? Tell me what you think? Contribute your ideas! I'll take 'em all ~ Well?**

 _ **Or are the humans to blame?**_

* * *

 **ffxshilayt aka Shila -**


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